A Year in Review

I think one of my favorite parts of a new year is looking back at the last one. This year has been no exception. I am amazed at just how much we accomplished, how many funny expat stores we've accumulated, how many trials we've gone through and grown stronger from, how much we've been blessed, and how much traveling we've been able to do. Here have been some of my favorite moments of 2012.
Visited Japan

Found out I had kidney disease and then was miraculously cured the next week.
Finished our first year of teaching

Found the best burgers in Korea

Went to the Cherry Blossom Festival

Joined the hipster movement and got grandpa glasses

Our little clown car celebrated it's one year birthday with us (mind you, we only expected it to last a few months)

Went to the Mud Festival

Visited home and saw my niece for the first time

Ate a year old cake

Went on a Roadtrip up the East coast of Korea.

Saw North Korea

Ran my first 5k

Added Zeke to the family

Celebrated two years of marriage

And lastly, I made the big switch from Wordpress to Blogger about two months ago. I just want to do a little shout out to all of the people who read, comment, email and follow this little blog. Without you it would just be me, talking to myself, begging family to read it. So thank you from the bottom of my heart, it means the world.

And no new year would be complete without a set of New Years resolutions. As much of a planner as I am, this idea was all hubs. He was insistent on sitting down and coming up with personal, financial and couple goals. Some were actual goals of things we wanted to accomplish but most were just fun ideas of things we wanted to try or attempt to get better at. Along with being more intentional with our time with each other, better contact with people back home, and more patience with students we had other ones that have been my favorite.

.pray every night together-when we were dating and long distance, we excelled at this, making sure we prayed ever night before we hung up the phone. Then after we got married...I'm not sure what happened. I'm thinking that if we do it in the morning we can avoid the ever so popular 'Thank you for this day, Amen' type prayers. I feel like when we pray together every day we feel more patient with one another and generally feel closer. Who wouldn't want that?

.memory jar & journaling-I'm really excited about the next two activities we're wanting to start this year. The first is a memory jar. You write notes of good things that happen that year and stick it in the jar. Then, on New Years, you open up the jar and read all of the memories from the last year. It's a perfect way to document both large and small moments throughout the year (because you know, a blog just isn't enough is it?). The second is starting a journal together. It will be a place that we can write notes, love letters or prayers for one another and then pass it along to the other person to read and write back. I'm clearly more excited about this than hubs but I think that's only because I told him about this when he was half asleep in bed...he'll catch on.

.sponsorship-the last thing we're hoping to do this year is sponsor a child in need. We've been wanting to do this for awhile but just haven't taken the time to research companies and find one that is reputable and that we're comfortable with. Any suggestions?

So long 2012 and the warmest of welcomes to 2013. I can't wait to see what you have in store.

Also, be sure to check out my guest post over on From There to Here